Challenger: 30 Years Ago Today

[Bailey Guns]

I was stunned and heartbroken. It was unreal watching the footage of the debris falling, and falling for what seemed like forever. One of the most memorable days of my life.

[wctriumph]

RIP and prayers up. I was watching it live, It is still one of those memories that will remain clear in my mind.

[buffalobo]

Was a freshman at WSC, skipped morning class to watch launch with friends/fellow dorm dwellers.

Bailey hit it, stunned and heartbroken.

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[Dave]

They had it live in my school, I was still young, but it's something I remember vividly. One of the teachers in my school made it pretty far into the teachers in space program testing, and he had hopes of being on a future mission.

[Gman]

I had just gotten back to my dorm room at Texas A&M and my neighbor comes over and says, "Did you hear what happened? The space shuttle blew up." I went over to his room to watch the coverage.

"Roger, go at throttle up." has stuck with me ever since.

The eagerness to go with the launch in spite of the cold temps ticks me off, but not nearly as much as the decisions that doomed Columbia.

[BushMasterBoy]

I dropped everything in Fort Lauderdale and moved to Cape Canaveral. Cried when the Columbia exploded. Space Station "Freedom" is still there.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-xetxYwyak

[funkymonkey1111]

Watched it in person--they were still enough of a novelty we'd get out of class (10th grade) to step out and watch them. You could see the launches very clearly from Orlando.

[OneGuy67]

I was stationed in Germany and had just bought a brand new TV at the PX and installed it in my room. AFN was broadcasting the launch and we all saw the explosion and the ongoing news coverage.

[TheGrey]

I was in the dayroom of the vo-tech, watching the launch before my class started. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

I disagree with the idea of stacking death against death. Every death diminishes us in some way; these astronauts represented a much bigger picture, and a far loftier and hopeful goal. They were our bridge to the stars. They were never alone; those of us avidly following the story of the Challenger and her crew were with them in spirit.

[.455_Hunter]

I was in 4th grade in Boulder. For some reason, we were not watching it live in class. I remember looking out of the classroom door into a common hallway and seeing our teacher crying. The principal then made an announcement over the intercom. A TV was set-up in the 5th grade classroom, and kids who had an interest could watch as long as they wanted. This was at the height of my rocket fascination period, so I was glued to the TV for the rest of the day and followed the investigation in depth.

[Bailey Guns]

I was in the dayroom of the vo-tech, watching the launch before my class started. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

I disagree with the idea of stacking death against death. Every death diminishes us in some way; these astronauts represented a much bigger picture, and a far loftier and hopeful goal. They were our bridge to the stars. They were never alone; those of us avidly following the story of the Challenger and her crew were with them in spirit.

Yep, me, too. Yes, death is an everyday occurrence. But it's not, to me, simply a matter of "they knew the risk, they took the risk". Our forefathers, the founders of our country, "knew the risk and took the risk" of rebelling against the king. I'm glad they chose to take the risk just like I'm glad others take risk on my behalf.

All of us have benefited immensely from the space program and it's been a source, rightly so, of tremendous national pride. I'm glad they crew of the Challenger, and Columbia, and all the others before and after were willing to take the risk.

[mindfold]

So strange, I was my son's age when it happened. All the crap we take so serious today, I truly don't think he will remember or care about any of it 30 years from now.

[funkymonkey1111]

A good portion of the members here didnt even know about the 1983 Beriut bombing that killed 241 American serviceman.

i don't want to get too far into the weeds here, but how do you arrive at this conclusion?

[hurley842002]

I had just turned 2....

[JohnnyDrama]

Being the FNG in my unit, I was pulled to go clean the newly arrived M-16A2s at our unit armory. I remember information being sketchy at first, a lot of disbelief, then getting to see the footage at the barracks.

RIP

[blacklabel]

I was born on the 11th and stayed in the hospital due to pneumonia and a hole in one of my lungs. I was released on the day that Challenger was lost. It's always been an odd day for me because of that.

[gnihcraes]

Senior year high school. Select few were at a retreat in Monument with most other local high schools. few hundred of us, they announced this happened. Silence, couldn't believe it. RIP.

Someone else mentioned above, my kid is the same age/year/school as I was. interesting.

[Ridge]

My mom worked for a company that designed and built the main engines on the Shuttle. She tells me they were in panic mode until it was discovered to be the SRB that failed.

[TheGrey]

I look at it like this...

A good portion of the members here didnt even know about the 1983 Beriut bombing that killed 241 American serviceman. Those men who died, didnt do it to be remembered and they were looking for fame. They did it ouf of a sense of duty. Nobody knows and nobody cares about their lives. Astronauts are celebrities so people care. Death is all around us. They went looking for it and found it.

That's mighty cynical, and I think you're overreaching when you're basing a suggestion of bifurcation ("only a few people responded, so either they didn't know or didn't care") to support the idea. The dichotomy of the events begin and end solely with the media- but the media outlets do not get to decide how we feel or what we think about situations (no matter how much they want to.)

Because those servicemen died (out of a sense of duty) does not make their deaths any ore outrageous or tragic. The astronauts that died may have been made celebrities through the attention of everyone on them, but I don't think they were sleeping until noon or snorting coke like rock stars. Being an astronaut is hard. I suspect they felt a sense of duty, and a sense of patriotism to America as well. Servicemen don't have a monopoly on duty and pride in their country.

I get that our opinions differ on this subject, Hbar. But I don't fit into that neat little box of "no one cares they died." I suspect there are many others here that also feel very strongly about the loss of servicemen/servicewomen, just as they mourn the loss of the Challenger crew, a favorite rock star, or the tragic and senseless loss of those two teenage boys in Parker.

There's enough love to appreciate them when they are alive, and mourn them when they are gone. Why should people have to choose either-or?

/end philosophy

[Zman]

Was my last year in college ... at a friends house skipping class to watch the launch ... spent the rest of the day in the NROTC lounge with friends in disbelief.

[rondog]

Wow, 30 years ago? No shit..... I was 29 then. Doesn't seem like that long ago.

[Aloha_Shooter]

Junior year in college, the instructor came into class and told us all the Challenger had exploded on launch. Had to finish classes the rest of the day before I could get back to the dorm to watch news. One of my roommates comes in right before dinner making "Space Shuttle Pinto" jokes -- closest to murder I ever got. To cap it all off, that night was my first ever meeting with the L5 Society (one of the predecessors for today's National Space Society) -- as you can imagine, a very morose meeting.

[funkymonkey1111]

Junior year in college, the instructor came into class and told us all the Challenger had exploded on launch. Had to finish classes the rest of the day before I could get back to the dorm to watch news. One of my roommates comes in right before dinner making "Space Shuttle Pinto" jokes -- closest to murder I ever got. To cap it all off, that night was my first ever meeting with the L5 Society (one of the predecessors for today's National Space Society) -- as you can imagine, a very morose meeting.

and, in actuality, it was virtually a Pinto replay, where the launch was made for publicity's sake at the expense of safety. e.g., it was a calculated roll of the dice, and the astronauts died because of it.

[clublights]

I look at it like this...

A good portion of the members here didnt even know about the 1983 Beriut bombing that killed 241 American serviceman. Those men who died, didnt do it to be remembered and they were looking for fame. They did it ouf of a sense of duty. Nobody knows and nobody cares about their lives. Astronauts are celebrities so people care. Death is all around us. They went looking for it and found it.



There difference for me is plain .. and my telling will be blunt

I didn't watch the Beriut bombing live an in color in my 3rd grade classroom.... I'm not saying the news of the event was hidden from me as a child but it was certainly not as in my face as the Challenger was.

[funkymonkey1111]

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/01/28/464744781/30-years-after-disaster-challenger-engineer-still-blames-himself

thiokol engineer knew it would blow. but NASA made its wager.

[OctopusHighball]

In high school, between classes and standing at my locker, I overheard the "What does NASA stand for?" joke a few lockers down. I thought to myself "OK, funny I guess, but what does that have to do with anything?"

Walked into my next class and heard the news. Then the joke made sense, and I felt guilty for laughing out loud.

[mtnrider]

Was at work and casually stepped outside to watch just another launch. I had seen all the launches since the Apollo days from my backyard on the Space Coast of Florida. A sad day indeed. Can't believe it's been 30 years.

.

[jerrymrc]

I was at Ft Benning and was watching it on a TV in the brace shop. Stunned was the word of the day.

[Hound]

I was in highschool when Gene Atkinsin walked into english class. He looked really down and said "The shuttle just blew up". I responded with "That's not funny". It then became apparent he was not kidding. We went and got a TV, nothing else happened that day. We were all just in too much shock.

[gnihcraes]

I was in highschool when Gene Atkinsin walked into english class. He looked really down and said "The shuttle just blew up". I responded with "That's not funny". It then became apparent he was not kidding. We went and got a TV, nothing else happened that day. We were all just in too much shock.

Lakewood HS?